Commitment to promoting the reuse and recycling of plastics is considered important for many reasons. Five operators in the construction industry tell why companies should invest in the reuse and recycling of film plastics.
The construction industry wants to promote the circular economy of plastics. The fact that Rakennusteollisuus RT signed the construction plastics green deal agreement in December 2020 speaks volumes for the state of will. The goal is to optimize the consumption of film plastics and increase the reuse and recycling of plastics.
Companies and organizations can also join the agreement by making a commitment. One of the first companies to join is insulation manufacturer Jackon Finland Oy. Director of Sales and Marketing Tommi Palomäki considers that the commitment happened quickly, because the green transition has been done in Jackon Finland for a long time.
"In 2016, we gave up the use of heavy fuel oil and switched to steam produced with domestic wood chips at our main factory in Sastamala. The packaging materials for our products contain at least 50% recycled materials. That's a couple of examples," says Palomäki.
Commitment as a competitive advantage
The commitment has also been made by the Steel Structures Association, whose CEO Timo Koivisto considers the promotion of the circular economy of plastics "a hugely good thing".
Koivisto believes that the high recycling rate of plastics and the diligent use of recycled plastics will also be a competitive advantage for companies in the future.
"Yes, the customers may demand that the company is committed to certain agreements, such as the green deal for construction plastics, for example. It may very soon become part of the procurement criteria," Koivisto reflects.
In Saint-Gobain Finland's operations, plastic is used, for example, in the packaging of construction supplies and materials. Construction plastics green deal agreement was committed because we want to do everything possible to promote the recycling and reuse of plastics.
As a large operator, Saint-Gobain has a responsibility manager Anne Kaiser's in my opinion, it is even a duty to be a trend setter in environmental responsibility matters. Kaiser states that the large size of the company is beneficial, for example in that practices successfully tried in a neighboring country can also be used in Finland.
Saint-Gobain can also encourage packaging material suppliers to move in a direction that promotes the circular economy.
"We are a big player and we have visibility, so we can question and challenge prevailing practices," says Kaiser.
Operational director of EcoUp, which manufactures insulation and geopolymers from recycled material Lauri Törrö says that the commitment to the rakkennings plastit green deal agreement was natural for a company whose entire operation is based on the utilization of collected waste fractions in the manufacture of products.
"Over the past few years, we have spent a lot of time and money ensuring that the packaging plastics we use in Ekovilla's products are collected back at our factories and baled as recycled raw materials," says Törrö.
Green plastic is a recycled raw material collected from Ekovilla's own wool wrappers, which has been washed and granulated as a raw material for recycled wrappers, Lauri Törrö shows.
The companies' point of view is taken into account
In the speech of the representatives of the companies, it is repeated that they want to be involved in bringing their own vision to the construction plastics green deal. In the current year, information will be collected from operators, which will be used in setting goals.
Companies want to be ahead of responsibility, but that does not mean forgetting the context of the operation and other important things.
At Saint-Gobain Finland, responsible for procurement of packaging plastics Katri Naatti raises an example from the field of what requirements must be taken into account when promoting the circular economy of plastics.
"Availability of good quality recycled plastic is one essential factor. It is good to remember that using a new type of recycled plastic always requires testing. For example, changing the packaging material must not be visible to the end user in such a way that the packaging is broken and the product inside is ruined," says Naatti.
Kaiser reminds that the packaging is not only to protect the product, but also contains important information for the user. Marking the information is even legal.
Jackon Finland's Palomäki also thinks about the different functions of packaging.
"The product must remain in good condition in the retailers' warehouses. In addition, the packaging helps to identify the product, among other things."
EcoUp's Törrö also thinks about the quality of plastic made from recycled material. It is important that the plastic used is of as uniform a quality as possible.
"The composition of the packaging plastic we use has the maximum amount of recycled raw material. In order to maintain quality, we strive to collect our own packaging plastic from the installers back to the factories and in a closed cycle as raw material for new packaging."
Ekovilla's installers collect plastic bags and clear pallet wraps in sacks, which are baled at the factory for recycling. In the picture, we look at the collected packaging plastic to see if there are wool residues left in the seams of the plastic.
Palomäki from Jackon Finland states that increasing the proportion of recycled plastic in the packaging material to a full one hundred percent means that the "recipe" still needs to be developed.
"Durability is an important feature, but at least for us it doesn't matter if the packaging plastic is gray or completely clear."
Cost savings through cooperation?
When thinking about responsibility, the whole must be taken into account. A decrease in emissions and material consumption in one place must not mean a corresponding increase in consumption and emissions in another.
Törrö notes that transporting plastic and other materials for recycling creates emissions and brings costs.
"Costs and relative emissions decrease when the volume and flows of recycled material entering the transport increase. There are opportunities to expand cooperation between companies for the benefit of everyone," Törrö reflects.
Palomäki reminds us that recycling plastic and reducing waste mean, in the best case, not only a carbon footprint but also a reduction in costs.
"Transporting and processing waste costs money."
At EcoUp, there has been a noticeable change in the environment that affects your own doing.
"We also sell blown wool in cardboard packages. As a packaging material, cardboard costs four times more than plastic, and it is reflected in the price of the product packed in cardboard. Regardless, consumers buy the product. Cardboard has experienced a new renaissance."
According to Törrö, the change has also taken place in house factories, which are interested in utilizing their waste fractions.
Ekovilla's blown wool package on its way from the packaging machine to the automatic palletizer in the factory. In clear packaging plastic, the share of recycled plastic is 20 percent.
There's still work to do
In companies of various sizes, recycling and increasing the reuse of plastics is considered to be a good and concrete way for the construction industry to act in an environmentally responsible manner. We also agree that there is still work to be done - we can and should always reach higher.
Many operators also have quantitative targets that concern not only carbon emissions but also recycling and reuse. Saint-Gobain's goal in Finland is that by 2030, all packaging material must be recyclable and at least 70 percent of the packaging material must be either recycled or bio-based.
The percentage goals have also been defined by the apartment and office builder Lujatalo, which is also committed to the construction plastics green deal agreement.
"Our goal is that 70 percent of the waste is sorted on the construction sites. Now we can reach over 60 percent shares", Lujatalo's director of development Tuija Schmidt toteaa.
Lujatalo wants to be a pioneer in sustainable construction. Schmidt says that this means, in addition to recycling and reusing film plastic, also favoring building materials with as little plastic as possible, among other things.
Schmidt describes the company's step patterns from now on:
"A lot is already being done on construction sites to promote the recycling and reuse of packaging plastics from construction materials, but unsorted mixed waste is still generated, and there is also unsorted plastic in it. Regarding plastics, there is also room for improvement in sorting. Often the problem is space, on the job site it is difficult to find a suitable place for several different waste containers. However, plastic can be sorted into sacks already at the work site, because it is a fairly light material."
He believes that there is work to be done not only at the construction sites but also at the company level.
"One thing to remember is that recycling is not the same as sorting. It requires more.”
The biggest problems elsewhere
EcoUp's Törrö reflects that the recovery of building materials, for example film plastic from insulating packaging, is already in a good way for companies. He believes that the problem areas can be found elsewhere.
"How can we collect the plastics of cabin builders and individual builders so that unnecessary emissions are not generated from transportation? There is a challenge in that.”
Lujatalon's Schmidt believes that recycling should be developed as a system. He also throws the ball to society.
"It's not a very motivating thought that plastic is being sorted diligently on construction sites, which then ends up being burned for beneficial use."
Can the film plastic story end?
Will it be possible to completely get rid of film plastics in the near future? At least EcoUp's operational director Lauri Törrö is hopeful.
"We have already had a completely plastic-free and waste-free installation concept in use for two years. The blown wool is packed in a container, it is blown directly into the building at the construction site, and the container is returned to the factory to be filled."
Lujatalo's development director Tuija Schmidt reflects that it is certainly possible to get rid of plastic completely in the future, but it will also require technological innovations.
"Membrane plastic is an excellent protection material for various construction parts and materials. Membrane plastic also plays a big role as protection in humidity control," Schmidt reminds.
Saint-Gobain's Kaiser believes that completely giving up plastics would not even be appropriate.
"Building materials will also need protection from weather conditions in the future and they must maintain their performance. Not everything can be delivered to the site in bulk. Of course, long-term material development can reduce the need for traditional film plastics in the future."
More information construction plastics from the green deal and instructions for making a commitment: situmus2050.fi/raknentonin-muovit
Read more about the plastic road map on RT's website
You can also get more information and help from Tuuli Kunnas, who works as RT's representative in the cooperation network of the plastic road map: tuuli.kunnas (at) kankenteollisuus.fi, tel. 040 172 0073 or 09 1299 305.